Lazarus Heart
by Flame-Proof-Monks
Summary: Post series...Knives escapes from Vash to continue his plans of destruction, and a mysterious figure emerges fom a crashed seeds ship. The past, present, and future will meet to decide the fate of all those who live on planet gunsmoke. (Revised thanks to
1. Default Chapter

Lazarus Heart  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun  
  
Authors note: this fic is post series; so don't read if you haven't seen Trigun in its entirety, it would spoil the ending. This is the first fic I have written solo, so any feedback would be great, enjoy. (*= Thoughts) Chapter 1:Escape  
  
It was unusually chilly that night on the planet Gunsmoke, as the planet's moons shone down upon a small house, in a small town. The town was small in size and population, but recently its population had grown by four. The four (three to the town people's knowledge) had been staying in the town for 2 months now, long enough to not be stared at, but still new enough to be newcomers.  
  
Three of them were seated around a table in the kitchen of their small home, while the fourth and last one; lay unconscious on a bed placed in a back room. The three at the table were strangely enough, having a discussion about the unconscious man, and what to do with him once he awakens.  
  
Vash the Stampede, or Erics as he went by now, sat at a table with the insurance girls Millie and Meryl. They all wore solemn expressions as they talked about Vash's brother, Knives.  
  
They had talked many times about him, but could never come up with a solution to deal with Knives violent nature, or his hatred towards humans.  
  
Vash felt that with time, he could save Knives from himself, but he knew that knives would be a threat to everyone as soon as he was back on his feet.  
  
Meryl suggested that they just keep Knives locked up in his room, until he was no longer a threat. Her idea was soon shot down, Vash explained that the room knives occupied, would not hold him after he woke up. Millie was surprisingly silent through these discussions, as she really didn't know what to say about it.  
  
Vash sighed, no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn't find a way to keep his brother from hurting people, other than handcuffing knives to himself at all times. He knew there was a solution he just wasn't seeing it. Vash looked at the tired faces of the girls, "maybe we should call it a night?" Meryl nodded "yeah it's getting late, and we have work tomorrow".  
  
Vash stared at the table as the girls stood up and began to walk to their room. Meryl stopped by Vash's side and laid her hand on his shoulder, "don't worry so much, we'll find a way to help your brother" she told him. Vash smiled then looked up at her "you two have been a great help to me, especially with the laundry" he told her, letting one of his goofy grins overtake his face.  
  
Meryl narrowed her eyes as she took her hand off his shoulder, and then smacked him on the back of his head. "Your still an idiot Vash, you know that right?" she said with an annoyed tone. Vash rubbed his sore head, "you should be more gentle or I'll be the one bedridden, although it might not be so bad with the daily sponge baths I'll get", he said as his goofy grin was replaced with a lecherous one.  
  
Red appeared on Meryl's cheeks, and quickly spread as embarrassment turned into anger. "You perverted jerk!" she screamed, and then punched him so hard he fell out of his chair. She shook with anger for a moment, and stomped out of the room, leaving Vash lying in a heap on the kitchen floor.  
  
Meryl didn't let Vash see her smile as she left the room, she didn't mind his perverted comments as much as she let on, but still she had to teach him a lesson now and again.  
  
Vash waited until she left, and then picked himself up off the floor, she hadn't hit him as hard as she used to he noted. He knew she loved him as a friend, and he suspected she loved him as something more.  
  
He had grown attached to the girls, over the time he had spent traveling with them, Meryl especially, and he really couldn't resist getting her riled up. She looked cute when she was angry, and that thought alone made him pretty sure that he was falling in love with her as well.  
  
*Well I should* he thought to himself, after all the years he spent wandering this desert planet; he was able to identify his feelings for what they were. The problem was, he didn't know if he should act on them.  
  
In the one hand he would be loved, accepted for what he was, scars and all. On the other hand, he was a wanted man, and whether Meryl would admit it or not he was a danger to her.  
  
Not to mention, one day the girls would leave this world, and he would still be here, unchanged by the passing of time. Meryl would be taken from him, one way or another. Vash shook those thoughts from his head, "I'm too tired to think about this now", he said to himself, as he too walked off to his room.  
  
********  
  
Knives lay awake in his bed as the conversation in the kitchen died down, and the other people in the house went to bed. *Soon* he thought to himself, he would be free of them, free to execute the plan he had devised long ago.  
  
He would kill the humans down to the last man, women, and child. His defeat at the hands of his brother was nothing but a setback in his mind, and he had learned from that defeat.  
  
He was being of logic, and logically he had simply underestimated Vash's will to protect the humans. He had wanted Vash to suffer for the pain he had caused him, and in the end all he got was more pain.  
  
Not only pain, but humiliation from being taken care of by the two human women that Vash stayed with.* Not this time*. He would not lose to Vash again. This time there would be no assassins sent after Vash, no red letters to taunt him into confrontation.  
  
He would escape from here and destroy the humans first, then decide what to do with his brother. He knew Vash wouldn't stand by and let him exterminate the humans without a fight, but knives knew that it would only take a small rumor of him to send Vash searching where knives wanted him to be.  
  
Vash would figure out the game quickly, but any time it would buy Knives would be useful, and unless Vash were to receive a tip like last time, Knives doubted Vash would be able to stop him until it was too late.  
  
Knives plan brought a grin to his face; all he had to do now was escape from his brother. His wounds were healed, and the others believed him to be comatose. If he just disappeared Vash would no doubt be after his trail by morning, so the question was how to stall Vash and give himself a head start.  
  
Knives thought a minute, before a wicked grin spread across his face. His brother had gained quite a reputation with the humans, he was the humanoid typhoon and the first localized human natural disaster. All Knives would have to do is tell the townsfolk that Vash the Stampede was in their town, and they would panic, keeping Vash busy while knives made his escape.  
  
With his plan set in his mind, Knives pulled the cover off of him and got out of the bed He had been lying on for almost 3 months. He stood up with shaky legs, not having used them in a while; he took a minute to steady himself, and then turned to face the dresser that was beside his bed. *No doubt that my idiot brother threw away my clothes* he thought to himself.  
  
It didn't matter really, his space suit would have attracted too much attention anyway, so knives settled for a white button up shirt, and a pair of brown pants as his traveling clothes. He needed a pair of boots, but he didn't dare try searching through the house, and risk anyone hearing him.  
  
Knives walked silently over to the only window in his room, and quietly opened it. He was about to climb out of the window, when he noticed a glimmer right in front of him.  
  
He inspected the glimmer closer, and found it to be a trip wire that stretched across the window frame. Knives smirked then carefully stuck his head out the window, and found that the wire went from his window all the way around the house, probably to Vash's room.  
  
* Maybe Vash isn't naive after all*, he thought as he slipped his body out the window, careful not to touch the wire. Knives stood still for a moment feeling the cool desert sand around his feet.  
  
He was about to walk away when he saw a pair of boots; they were lying next to the house with their shoelaces tied together. Knives bent down and was about to pick them up when another glimmer caught his attention.  
  
Knives shook his head then carefully untied another trip wire set by his brother. After untangling it from the shoelaces, he slipped the boots on his feet.  
  
He looked up at the fifth moon and the light it shined down upon him, the same moon that his brother put a hole through. It seemed to Knives, that the moon was finally getting revenge on Vash by helping him in his escape.  
  
Knives now ready to travel, had only one last detail to take care of, how to alert the town of his brothers presence? He walked out into the main street as he pondered this, the general store caught his eye, and an idea formed in his mind "Perfect."  
  
********  
  
The sun peaked over the horizon spreading its light across the sand. The dawn light soon shone through the window of a small house, and onto the sleeping form of its resident outlaw. Vash slowly woke up and blinked the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
With a yawn he sat up, then turned to face away from the window and sit with his legs crossed. Vash closed his eyes beginning his daily meditation, and like every morning, he quit after three seconds.  
  
He didn't practice his gunmanship any more, so he stood up and slowly walked out of his room. Vash continued walking until he reached the front door, and opened it ready to see a new day.  
  
At least he would have seen a new day, except for the gun barrels that blocked his view. Vash stared at the gun barrels with wide eyes, then promptly slammed the door, and leaned against it breathing heavily.  
  
"Oh crap, oh crap," he chanted as his eyes darted this way and that, looking for an escape route. "Maybe I'm just hallucinating, yeah that's it", he said with a nervous laugh. Vash turned and opened the door just a little; the gun barrels were still there to greet him.  
  
Vash once again shut the door and leaned against it, "maybe their not looking for me, yeah that's it" Vash said nodding to himself. "Vash the Stampede, come out here with your hands up!" called a voice from outside.  
  
Vash sighed, "Oh man, what is with these people, why don't they just run away when they hear I'm around?" any more thoughts Vash might have had were cut off, as a bullet tore through the wood door, and missing his head by an inch.  
  
"We're not going to tell ya again," yelled another voice from outside. "This is not a good way to start the day," Vash said and then ran off down the hallway towards the kitchen.  
  
Vash ran into the kitchen, and then jumping up on the kitchen counter, hurled himself through the window above the sink. Vash hit the sandy ground, then rolled to his feet and took off running again. He ran faster as shouts of "there he is" and "get him," reached his ears.  
  
He ran to the edge of town, then ducked behind last house, and leaned against it. "How could they have found out who I am?" he said to himself. His hair was shaggy now, not having cut it since his last fight with Knives, and he didn't wear the red coat anymore.  
  
Hell he didn't even carry a gun now, although he kind of wished he did at the moment, especially when a man leapt out from behind the house, and pointed a rifle at Vash. Vash yelled then rolled foreword to avoid being shot, he scramble back to his feet, and ran around the side of the house.  
  
He ran into the main street of the town, and then turning, he ran left towards the house he was renting. He ran past the front of his house, and around the side with sound of the town people behind him.  
  
What followed looked like a race, as Vash and the pursuers that chased him, ran circles around the house. During this time Vash was able to estimate that about 12 people were after him, (that was about 3/4ths of the town population).  
  
As the minutes rolled on, the town people grew tired, and two of the men who chased Vash got the idea of running in the other direction, to head him off on his next circuit around the house.  
  
Vash ran into them around the corner, and quickly leapt over them, slamming the men's head's together with his hands before he landed. The two men fell to the ground in a heap, as Vash ran around the next corner. The town people who followed Vash, tripped over the bodies of the unconscious men, and they too fell to the ground in a heap.  
  
Vash ran as fast as he could one more time around the house, and came up behind the group that chased him. The group of town people was just getting to their feet, when Vash reached down and picked up a pistol, which had fallen out of the hands of one of the unconscious men.  
  
As soon as the pistol was in his hand, the town people's expressions turned from angry, to fearful. Vash smiled "hey don't be like that, were all friends here right?"  
  
The town's people were silent for a few seconds, but they quickly scrambled to their feet, and ran screaming back to their houses. Vash let out a sigh of relief as he dropped the pistol on the ground, and then he walked over to the back door of his home.  
  
Before he turned the doorknob, he looked over at the window he had crashed through, then back to the door. Vash sweat dropped.  
  
He opened the door, and walked into the kitchen, but what awaited him there froze the blood in his veins. Meryl stood in the kitchen with a furious expression on her face, "and just what have you been up too?" she said through clenched teeth.  
  
Vash scratched the back of his head "would you believe talking with the neighbors?" he said with a nervous chuckle. Meryl's eyebrow began to twitch as she stalked towards him.  
********  
  
A howl of pain was heard throughout the small town, scaring the already frightened town people, who huddled in their homes afraid of the legendary Hominoid Typhoon.  
**** Interlude: 2 1/2 months ago.  
  
(Dream) He was dreaming, he wasn't supposed to be dreaming, you don't dream in cold sleep. Foreign images began to play through his mind, a red flower, and the smell of gun smoke, a dark haired man dressed in black. He was in a church now, with the man clad in black standing in front of him. The man clad in black had his back to him, "who are you?" He asked. The man clad in black didn't speak, "where am I.who am I?" He asked.  
  
"You know."the man in black replied, "we are nothing like god.not only are our powers limited, but we are sometimes driven to become the devil himself". He began to get angry "what are you talking about?" he yelled. "Its time to wake up Lazarus.its time to find him" the dark haired man replied, and then disappeared. He was alone now in the church, but soon everything turned dark, and shadow was all that remained. (End Dream)  
  
Deep below the surface of the planet Gunsmoke, in the bowels of an ancient Seeds ship, long dormant computers began to turn on. A low whine filled the chamber where the computers were housed, as information was processed.  
  
Light was restored to the chamber revealing a row of computer consoles, but most importantly, the five cryogenic tubes that occupied the center of the chamber. Gas began to fill the first tube, as the computer activated it's revive function. Once the process was finished, the lid of the tube rose up, and revealed the tubes soul occupant.  
  
It was a man, lean in build with long red hair resting on his shoulders. The man opened his gray eyes, and then sat up bringing a hand to his head. He rubbed his eyes as the fog of sleep left his mind, and he became aware of his surroundings.  
  
"Computer, code name Lazarus, acknowledge" he said in a raspy voice. An electronic voice echoed within the chamber, "Voice I.D. confirmed". "Star date?" asked Lazarus. "Unknown" responded the computer. Lazarus sighed then stood up and stepped out of the cryo tube, "computer, activate supply locker, then list command priorities" Lazarus said as he walked over to a wall, clad only in shorts.  
  
The computer acknowledged the command with a beep, and the previously smooth wall grew seams in it. The now door shaped part of the wall slid inward, then up, and revealed the locker that lay behind it. The locker had only four shelves stocked with clothing, and other survival tools. The computer listed the command priorities, while Lazarus slipped into a Grey jumpsuit.  
  
"Command priority one: locate Gemini plant life forms."  
  
"Command priority two: regulate plant energy in all plant life forms."  
  
"Command priority three: establish neural link between plant reactors."  
  
"Command priority four: activate Lazarus protocol."  
  
"List command restrictions" Lazarus said as he grabbed a duffle bag, and began placing survival tools in it.  
  
"Command restriction one: human termination prohibited."  
  
"Command restriction two: plant termination prohibited."  
  
Lazarus set the now full duffle bag on the floor beside him; he then reached into the top shelf of the locker, and pulled out the gun that lay there.  
  
He checked the laser sight, which worked, and the magazine, which seemed to be in working order as well, the gun was standard issue for the crew of a Seeds ship.  
  
The last item he grabbed from the locker was a light brown poncho, which he unfolded, and put on to cover his jumpsuit.  
  
Now that Lazarus was ready to travel, he picked up the duffle bag and then putting it over his shoulder, walked over to another section of the wall. "Open emergency lift", he told the computer, which complied, and opened the section of the wall that hid the lift from view.  
  
He stepped inside the cylinder shaped space, and activated the lift, it made no sound as it moved upward towards the surface. After a few seconds the lift sounded an electronic beep, signaling it had reached the surface; Lazarus pressed a button on the lift control panel, and opened the door.  
  
Sand was what greeted him as he stepped out of the lift, lots of sand. The vast desert that covered the planet Gunsmoke, lay as far as the eye could see. Lazarus scanned the horizon with his eyes, and took in the environment he had been awakened in.  
  
"Sand, rocks, and.a crater?" he said in surprise. There was a large crater in the distance, about half a mile from where he stood. The small trek over to the crater only took a few minutes, and when he arrived at the rim of the crater, he stood there amazed at its size.  
  
It wasn't very deep, but the radius that it spanned was enormous. *An explosion couldn't have caused this*, he thought to himself, and then began to examine the area. There were shell casings everywhere, and in the very center of the crater, there lay several guns.  
  
Two revolvers, the first one was silver, the second was black, and there was a large metal cross-shaped weapon he couldn't identify. Lazarus left the weapons alone as he continued to search the area, and he soon found more items, not far from where he found the weapons.  
  
He found a tattered red coat, and a complicated set of straps. Lazarus piled all the objects he found in the crater together.  
  
He then looked up at the blue sky, it was a sharp contrast to the dusty brown of the planet, and reminded Lazarus of the sky back home. He wondered what had become of the human race, were they thriving on this new planet, or dying slowly under its harsh environment.  
  
The objects that lay at his feet gave him hope, that people still survived on this planet, and that he was not alone. He wanted to finish his task as soon as possible, because he had only just awaken on this planet, and he was already starting to hate it.  
  
End chapter 1 Written by Lee, 


	2. Discovery

Lazarus Heart  
  
Chapter 2: Discovery Disclaimer: I still don't own Trigun. (*=Thoughts)  
  
Vash sat out on the porch of the house he and the girls rented, waiting for the girls to finish packing their things. Meryl was still kind of mad at him, not because of the broken window, or even for the incident with the town's people, she was angry because he hadn't let her and Millie deal with the problem.  
  
Vash didn't understand totally, he'd solve worse problems before by himself, and without a gun as well. He understood that she didn't want him to get hurt, but still she should understand that he didn't want to get the girls involved with his troubles. They had both helped him so much, giving him the strength to face his brother, and then helping him take care of knives when he had brought him back wounded. Thinking of knives, Vash decided to go check on him and see if he was awake yet.  
  
As Vash turned to walk back into the house, he saw something on it that he had missed before, during the wild race around the house. Written in blue letters all across the front of the house was "Vash the Stampede is here", and on the front door there was a blue "X". The blue letters brought a memory to Vash, a memory of "Knives" carefully written in red across the monument of a deserted town. Vash's eyes darkened as he quickly threw open the front door of the house, and ran down the hallway to knives's room.  
  
Millie looked out of the room her and Meryl shared "what's wrong Mr. Vash" she asked him as he ran past her. "Nothing" he called over his shoulder before he came to a stop at knives room; his hand shook a little as he slowly opened the door. Vash's eyes widened, as his worst fear was realized, knives was gone.  
  
Millie startled by Vash's behavior, walked over to him, and looked over his shoulder "where did Mr. Knives go?" she asked him. Vash said nothing as Meryl walked into the room, wondering what was going on. She saw the empty room, and brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh no." she said as Vash finally turned to face the girls, "are you almost done packing?" he said in a serious tone.  
  
"I'm done," said Millie, Meryl nodded, "we just need to get our cloaks," she told him. The girls went to retrieve their traveling cloaks as Vash walked back out on the porch, and was soon joined by the two girls. Vash turned and gave them a soft smile," ready to go?" the girls nodded and followed him as he walked down the street to the edge of the small town.  
  
*What are you planning knives? * Vash thought as he and the girls left the town that had been their home behind them. It wasn't far to the next town, and there they could find a car or a bus that could help them catch up to knives. He really didn't want the girls to follow him, but he had promised not to leave them behind again. Vash smiled; *well at least I'm not alone. *  
  
It was around nightfall when the little group walked into Carson town, tired and hungry. Vash told the girls to rest and get something to drink, while he got them some rooms for the night. So Meryl and Millie walked into the local saloon, and sat down at a table in the back. Millie ordered them some tea as they waited for Vash to arrive, which he did about five minutes later.  
  
"We leave for Warrens city in the morning" Vash said as he sat down at their table. Meryl raised an eyebrow, "why Warrens city.is Knives headed there?" Vash shook his head "no, but I need to talk to an old friend about a new gun". Millie perked up, "oh you mean that nice gunsmith who lives there?" she asked him. "Yeah that's him, Frank Marlin" Vash said with a tired smile. "Do you have any idea where Knives is headed?" asked Meryl. Vash thought a moment then answered, "I'm almost sure that he'll head to the place where me and him fought the last time". "Why would he go there?" asked Millie in a confused tone.  
  
Vash's reply was interrupted by the sound of arguing; he turned in his seat towards the commotion. At a table next to the bar, four men had stood up and were yelling at one another. The men appeared to be drunk, and one of the men who had his back to Vash's table, went to grab the gun holstered on his hip. Vash acted quickly by jumping out of his chair, and then kicking the chair with his foot. The chair flew upwards in an arc, and then crashed into the back of the man who was about to draw his gun, it knocked him over onto the table where he lay unconscious.  
  
One of the unconscious man's buddies went to draw his gun as well, but he was quickly thrown into the bar, courtesy of Millie who had drawn and fired her stun gun. "I think we should get out here," Meryl said as she stood up. "Good idea" Vash replied. Vash and Meryl backed towards the door, while Millie kept her stun gun pointed at the people in the saloon, and then she too backed towards the door.  
  
Once they were outside Millie put her stun gun back under her cloak, "we should turn in, we have to get up early tomorrow" Vash told them. Millie yawned in agreement, and followed her friends across the street. They walked into the one story building and went to their rooms, the girls in one room with Vash's across the hall. "Goodnight ladies" Vash said as he went to his room. The girls went into their room, and then after putting on some nightclothes, they turned in for the night.  
  
Meryl lay awake for a little while before going to sleep, thinking about Vash and what she wanted to tell him. She had promised to herself that she would tell him how she felt about him, but she didn't know how, and with Knives running loose she didn't think it was a good time to tell Vash. He had enough to deal with at the moment, and didn't need any more thoughts to worry about.  
  
Meryl smiled as she heard Millie mumble something in her sleep, at least she didn't have any trouble falling asleep, Meryl noted. Millie had an inner strength that rivaled her kind heart. She had taken Mr. Wolfwood's death in stride, not letting his passing interfere with her duties as an insurance agent, and most importantly her friends. Meryl didn't know if she could do that, and with knives loose again, her fear that Vash might be killed returned. That fear alone had kept her awake at night many times before, and it looked like it would again tonight.  
  
She was wrong though, even with the troubling thoughts in her mind, she thankfully fell asleep a few minutes later. Across the hall Vash was having his own troubling thoughts, and like Meryl, they revolved around his brother. He'd beaten knives in their last battle, but only by the skin of his teeth. If they were to fight again, the battle could go either way, not to mention that knives had an edge now, and Vash was sure he'd use it to his advantage.  
  
Vash had left the guns that activated the angel arms where he and knives had fought, which meant knives would probably head there first. If he did Knives would have both guns, leaving Vash at a disadvantage, and probably no hope at beating knives again. He didn't really want to make a detour at Warrens City, but he couldn't take a chance that he would beat knives to the guns, and if knives did get there first, Vash would need a reliable gun to stand against him.  
  
This whole situation wasn't looking good at the moment, but Vash knew that if he believed in himself, he could beat knives and save him from the demons driving him to violence. Vash turned over in bed, and then clearing his thoughts from his mind, fell asleep.  
  
At daybreak the three of them boarded a bus heading to Warrens City. It would take about two days to get there, provided there weren't any delays along the way. Vash looked out the window of the bus, while the girls talked between themselves, and hoped that this time trouble wouldn't follow after him. Meryl seemed to catch on to his worries; she turned in her seat to face him. "You shouldn't worry so much, or you'll be an old man before you know it" she said with a soft laugh.  
  
Vash gasped and quickly turned his head to face Meryl "what did you say?" he asked her with wide eyes. Meryl looked started at his reaction, and Millie repeated what she had said. "She said you shouldn't worry so much, or you'll be an old man before you know it". "Is there something wrong with what Meryl said?" Millie asked him. Vash smiled "no it just reminded me of someone". Meryl was about to say something else, but the bus driver cut her off. "The winds picking up, it looks like there's a sand storm up ahead," he yelled over his shoulder. "Great" Meryl grumbled sarcastically. Millie stood up "is it a bad one?" she asked the driver. "Looks that way, I'm going to have to take a detour, there's a town about three iles west of here where we can wait it out", he told the passengers. Vash sighed, so much for escaping trouble.  
  
********  
  
At that very moment, knives was driving across the desert in a stolen truck. The truck had picked him up the night before, and then after snapping the driver's neck, he took the truck. He had been driving non-stop since then, and was about half way to destination, the Seeds ship that was his headquarters. Knives noted that he was low on gas, and would soon have to walk again, unless he came across another traveler with a vehicle.  
  
* It doesn't matter*, he would reach the seeds ship first. Then he would have both guns, and Vash wouldn't be able to stop him this time. That thought alone brought a smirk to his face as he pressed the accelerator to the floor, trying to cover as much ground as possible before the gas tank went dry.  
********  
  
Interlude: York Town, one month ago.  
  
The duel suns of the planet Gunsmoke shone down upon York Town with intense ferocity. Lazarus sat alone at a table in the town saloon, trying to escape the heat. He was also thinking over the information he'd gathered about the planet. The planet was mainly populated by a lot of small towns, and few major cities. The money, measurements, and even the modes of transportation had changed very little over time. Sitting in saloons for the past month had allowed him to gather all the information he needed to survive. Lazarus would soon begin searching for the plants he was ordered to find, and he had a good idea who one of the plants was.  
  
Every town he had wandered into was full of gossip, about a man named Vash the Stampede who was wanted for 60 billion double dollars. He had also been declared mankinds first localized human disaster, and was rumored to have put the hole in the fifth moon. Lazarus believed the rumor about the moon, and he had an idea of how the outlaw had done it. Lazarus reached down into the duffle bag at his side, and pulled out one of the revolvers he'd found in the desert.  
  
It was silver, and based off a 45. Long colt, but appearance aside it had been made with plant, or as the people now called it, lost technology. The gun was used to focus a plants energy, and activated their angel arms, which was what probably had put the hole in the fifth moon. Lazarus sighed, and put the gun back in his duffle bag, * at least I have a name to follow* he thought to himself.  
  
He stood up, grabbing his duffle, and the huge cross that rested against the table. Lazarus didn't like the cross, it gave him a bad feeling every time he touched it, and it was very heavy to boot. Lazarus grunted as he picked the cross up by its straps, and gripped it over his shoulder. He would have left it in the desert, but when you hear a voice in your head you tend to listen to it. Every time he tried to leave it somewhere, a voice would growl at him to pick it back up.  
  
Then there were the dreams he'd been having, about a man clad in black, and he always had his back to him, never letting Lazarus see his face. The dream always took place in a church, and the man clad in black kept saying the same thing, "find him". Lazarus shook his head as he walked out of the saloon, he'd worry about his mental health later, right now he had to complete his mission.  
  
The only problem was, that Vash the Stampede hadn't been seen in months, and even if he was, Lazarus didn't know what he looked like. The rumors about his appearance varied from person to person, and he was known for escaping those who tried to capture him. Lazarus didn't know exactly what to do, but he figured that if he traveled fast enough, he might just run into this legendary gunman. Lazarus walked away from the saloon, and then down the street towards the bus that waited at the edge of town.  
  
Riding on the bus was expensive, but thankfully the people on this planet still played poker, a game Lazarus was very good at. He gave most of the money he'd won from gambling to the bus driver, and then took a seat in the back. It wouldn't be long before Lazarus was in a different town, with new rumors to follow, and new people to beat at cards. End chapter two, written by Lee 


	3. Bad Company

Lazarus Heart  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.  
  
*=Thoughts and dreams.  
  
Authors note: I want to thank RoseRed5 and Hecate for reviewing.  
  
Chapter 3: Bad Company.  
  
A bus drove through the desert pushing its engine to its limit; ahead of the bus moving on an intercept course was a sandstorm. The scene looked like a toy car playing chicken with a diesel truck, and it seemed that the driver of the bus was well aware of that fact. In between the storm and bus there was town, the town that the driver was heading for, ever since he had seen the first signs of a storm.  
  
It was close, but the bus managed to reach the town, and find shelter behind a building before the swirling mass of sand hit the town. The bus driver along with the passengers let out sighs of relief, and then got ready to exit the vehicle. None of the passengers were more relieved than Vash and the insurance girls, the detour to this town was bad enough, but having to deal with a sand clogged engine was definitely worse.  
  
"That was close" Vash sighed as he grabbed his bag.  
  
"You're telling me" Meryl replied then stood up with the rest of the passengers.  
  
Millie looked out the window near Vash, "but now we have to walk through that" she said indicating the storm outside.  
  
"Don't worry Millie, it won't last long, and at least it's not a typhoon," Meryl said, remembering the typhoon in New Oregon.  
  
Vash smiled brightly "I don't know about you two, but I'm going to get a drink while we wait".  
  
Millie clasped her hands together "oh yeah that sounds great!"  
  
Meryl placed her hands on her hips and stared at them with narrow eyes. "No way, you two are not getting any drinks!"  
  
Vash gave Meryl a light smile "come on what harm could one drink have?"  
  
"Please Meryl" Millie chimed in, and made her bottom lip quiver.  
  
Meryl shook her head and brought a hand to her head "oh I give up" she sighed.  
  
Vash and Millie thanked her with a duel bone-crushing hug, which squeezed the air out her. The bus door opened letting the passengers off, and the two released Meryl from the hug, letting her fall to the floor. *I swear they're like giant children sometimes* Meryl thought as she watched Millie and Vash rush out of the bus. Meryl picked herself up off the floor with a groan, and then stepped off the bus. The wind was blowing strongly so she hurried over to the town saloon, and to her dismay, Vash and Millie were already drinking.  
  
Their fellow passengers filled up the saloon as well, and it seemed to Meryl that all passengers had the idea Vash did. Meryl sighed then walked over to a table like she was carrying the world on her shoulders, she sat down and watched her friends turn one drink into several. It wasn't long before they were smashed and Meryl was cursing her stupidity, *why do I always agree to this* she thought as the bus driver challenged Vash to a chugging contest.  
  
Time wore on, turning afternoon into evening, and outside the small saloon the sandstorm still raged. Meryl was bewildered at how long the storm was lasting, *sandstorms don't usually last this long, what could be causing it? * Any other thoughts were cut off when a drunken Vash, hanging on a wagon wheel light fixture swung over their table (barely missing Millie who was unconscious and sleeping on the table at that point) and crashed into a wall. Drunken laughter followed his crash landing as Vash crawled over to the table, and used it to stand up.  
  
Vash held his stomach while he swayed, almost falling over "I don't feel so good" he groaned.  
  
Meryl rolled her eyes waiting for him to run towards the bathroom, which he did a few seconds later, holding one hand on his stomach and the other over his mouth. While Vash was in the bathroom Meryl noticed something strange about the saloon, except for the passengers from the bus the only local in the saloon was the bartender. She raised her eyebrow at this and looked around to confirm her suspicions.  
  
Sure enough there were no locals in the saloon "that's strange" she said out loud. Meryl's curiosity got the better of her, and she walk over to the bar "is it usually this slow at night, besides the passengers I mean?" she asked the bartender. The bartender looked surprised at her question, and his eyes darted around nervously "uh, my town isn't big on drinking" he replied. Meryl didn't believe his answer, and was about to question him some more when the saloon door burst open.  
  
Meryl turned around to face the door ready to draw her derringers, but stopped as she noticed it was only a boy. The boy was crying, and his clothes were ripped, he spotted Millie who was asleep on the table closest to him. The child ran over to her and latched on to her leg, this caused Millie to wake up in surprise. She quickly hugged the child out of instinct. "What's wrong?" she asked him with a yawn. The boy didn't say anything as he buried his face into her cloak, and began to shake.  
  
Millie smiled softly as she picked him up and pulled the child onto her lap, Meryl rushed over to her followed by the bartender.  
  
"Is he hurt?" Meryl asked.  
  
"I don't think so Meryl his clothes are a mess, but I don't think he's hurt" Millie replied.  
  
"Jimmy, Jimmy what happened, where are your parents?" the bartender asked the boy.  
  
Jimmy reacted to his name and looked up at the bartender with tear-stained cheeks, "t-the m-monster took them" he choked out then hugged Millie tighter. Meryl thought Jimmy was in shock, but the bartender didn't ask the boy what he meant, and his face went pale.  
  
"Oh lord" the bartender said as he bowed his head.  
  
Millie looked at Jimmy then at the bartender "is there really a monster?" she asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"Monster? What are you talking about Millie? There is no such thing as monsters" Meryl scoffed.  
  
"I'm afraid she's right miss," the bartender said, keeping his eyes on the floor and shaking his head.  
  
Before Meryl could say anything else the door opened again, and Vash walked in with a serious expression on his face. Vash quickly noticed the boy in Millie's arms, the boy had short raven colored hair, and couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old. Vash let his gaze wander over the people in the saloon, to the startled passengers then back to his friends, "the bus is totaled" he said calmly.  
  
"What?" Meryl yelled.  
  
"See for yourself" Vash told them, and then walked back outside.  
  
Meryl walked after him followed by the passengers and the bus driver, Millie stayed behind with Jimmy. Once outside the group was almost instantly covered in sand, and they walked single file towards the bus. Soon they all saw what Vash had been talking about, only the bus wasn't totaled, it had been shredded. The bus was now a pile of scrap metal, and to everyone's horror claw marks covered the remains of the bus. Vash closed his eyes, he had a bad feeling in his gut, and it wasn't from alcohol. Meryl stood looking at the ruined bus, shock and disbelief clouding her face.  
  
"I was afraid this would happen" the bartender yelled above the storm.  
  
"What do you mean?" Vash asked him.  
  
The bartender looked at him with solemn eyes, "the monster appeared about a month ago, all those who went for help never came back. The monster always strikes during sandstorms; since it's arrival we've had four storms, almost as if this thing can cause them."  
  
He turned away and began to walk slowly towards the saloon, "I'm sorry, but tonight the storm grows fierce, and I doubt any of us will ever leave this town".  
  
Vash stood like a statue as he stared at the ruined bus, and pondered over the bartender's words. Meryl stood beside him and watched the passengers walk back to the saloon; fear clouded their eyes. Vash's eyes narrowed as determination once again swept through him, with one last look at the claw marks he turned and walked swiftly back to the saloon. Meryl watched him a moment before following, she knew the look on Vash's face very well, having seen it many times before.  
  
It was the face of the Humanoid Typhoon, Vash the Stampede.  
  
********  
  
Interlude: Warrens City, one day ago  
  
Frank Marlin sat at his usual table, nursing his bottle of whiskey while Abby (the bartender) looked at him with disapproving eyes. Frank lowered his eyes and took another drink from the half empty bottle, *I only come in here once a week to have a bottle of whiskey, you'd think she would quit staring daggers at me by now*. It was true, he would come here every other day to visit with Abby, but once every week he'd walk in around noon and have a drink.  
  
The last time he had been drunk was about two years ago, when Vash had been declared an Act of God. Frank still got mad thinking about that, Vash was a good person despite the reputation he carried with him. Frank knew this from personal experience, having seen Vash risk his life to save money that wasn't even his. Frank's mental ranting was interrupted when the bat wing doors of the saloon opened, and a red haired man wearing a brown poncho walked in.  
  
Abby raised an eyebrow at the newcomer; it was unusual to get a customer other than Frank this early in the day. Frank looked at the man and did a double take as he noticed the man was carrying a large cross under his arm. *The priest who brought me Vash's gun to be fixed, he carried a cross like that*, Frank thought in alarm. Lazarus's gray eyes looked back and forth between Frank and Abby *what's up with these two* he thought to himself. Lazarus shrugged mentally, and walked over to the bar while Frank watched him every step of the way.  
  
He propped the cross against the bar and then hung his duffle bag on the arm of it. Lazarus sat down next to the cross, and Abby quickly held her hand out. "I have a no gun policy here, so I'm going to hold your gun until you leave" she told Lazarus sternly. Frank watched as Lazarus reached under his poncho, and pulled out a semi-automatic he had never seen before. He placed the gun on the bar then reached over into his duffle bag, and brought out two more guns.  
  
One gun in particular froze the blood in Frank's veins, * that's Vash's gun, what the hell is this guy doing with it*! He thought in alarm. Abby recognized the gun as well "those are some strange guns" she said calmly. Lazarus nodded and pointed to the white semi-automatic "this one was given to me, these two I found out in the middle of nowhere" he said pointing at the revolvers. Frank began to worry, *Oh no, has something happened to Vash? No, Vash knows how to take care of himself, but if he's lost his gun he'll probably come here for a new one. I need to get that gun back just in case, but I'll have to play this just right*.  
  
Frank got out of his seat and walked over to the bar, once there he casually glanced at Vash's revolver. "Hey stranger, you wouldn't by chance be willing to sell me that silver gun would you?" Abby picked up a dirty glass and began to clean it while Lazarus looked up at Frank. "I guess it depends on what you want it for" Lazarus replied coolly.  
  
Frank laughed, "Well it just so happens that I'm a gunsmith, and I'm always looking for new designs to tinker with. That gun right there is a very interesting design. So what do you say, could you part with it?" Lazarus rubbed his chin as he thought about it, *I do need the money, and this gunsmith shouldn't be able to unlock the dangerous parts of the gun*. Lazarus shrugged, "Hell, why not? How much will you give me for it?"  
  
"I'll give you one hundred and fifty double dollars for it." Frank knew that was cheap for a gun, but that was all he had.  
  
Lazarus sighed *that's not much, but it'll cover the bus fare to December*. Lazarus held out his hand, "you've got a deal, Mr.?" Frank shook his hand, "Frank Marlin, and you are?" Lazarus thought a moment before replying, "Laz Arussell." Frank reached into his back pocket, and was about to grab his wallet when suddenly, shouting was heard from outside. Lazarus leaned back to look out the door, but remained in his seat while Abby and frank ran over to a window.  
  
They looked out the window and were shocked by what they saw. "I don't believe it" Abby said with disbelief in her voice. "I can't believe they actually came back," Frank added. Standing in the middle of the street next to a black convertible with fins, were six men, the same men Vash had stood up against two years ago. The leader of the bandits (referred to as "Big bro") watched with a cocky grin as the people of the town pulled guns, and gathered around them.  
  
Abby turned to get the Frank Marlin special off the plaque behind the bar, but stopped as she heard Big bro speak. "I told all of you that we'd be back, and this time we're ready for you". Big bro nodded to one of his men, "show them hank" he told the bandit, hank reached into the back seat of the convertible and pulled off the a brown tarp that covered it. "Sit up" he told the teenage girl who had been hidden under the tarp, she sat up quickly with tears in her eyes, and hank pressed a gun to the back of her skull.  
  
The people of the town gasped, and lowered their weapons as Big bro laughed. "You see? If you want this girl to remain safe you'd better not do anything foolish, now open the bank and start bringing out the money." The town's people looked at the bandits with hate and anger in their eyes, but they did as they were told. Frank stared at the bandits with clenched fists, "I can't believe those bastards are doing this", he said through clenched teeth. Abby shook her head, "I know, but what can we do?" she said with despair in her voice.  
  
Lazarus listened the whole time the bandits talked with disinterest, until a sharp pain went through his mind. He grimaced then rubbed the side of his head *oh no, not you again*, he thought in annoyance. Lazarus knew the mental pain well, having felt it every time the "voice" as he called it, got angry with him. *Yeah it's me again, damn I'd think you'd be used to me by now* the voice said in Lazarus's mind. Lazarus sighed, the voice had gotten stronger over the past month, and it could now carry on entire conversations with him.  
  
*What the hell do you want now*? Lazarus thought in annoyance. Another flare of pain went through his mind, *idiot! What do you think I want? I want you to get off your butt and help that girl out there*. Lazarus's eyes widened *are you crazy! There's like six armed men outside, I'll be dead inside of two seconds*.  
  
The voice scoffed at him, *Aw quit being a wuss it's not that many, and besides do you wanna help the girl, or spend the next week curled up in the fetal position, clutching your head in pain*?  
  
Lazarus narrowed his eyes and growled mentally, *you wouldn't*.  
  
*I would* the voice replied with a smug tone.  
  
Lazarus cursed, *all right I'll do it, but I'm doing this my way understand*? *Fine, just hurry, and be careful*. Lazarus smirked, *I didn't know you cared*. The voice laughed in his mind, *I don't, I just don't want you to get the girl killed*.  
  
Lazarus grumbled as he stood up, and the voice faded from his mind, *ok, what to do*? He thought looking around the saloon. He noticed Frank's half empty bottle then Abby's cleaning rag, and after a few seconds a plan formed in his mind. Across the room Frank watched people load bags of money into the bandits car, suddenly he remembered Lazarus, and turned around to see what his reaction to this was. To his surprise, only the preacher's cross and the two revolvers remained in the saloon.  
  
Lazarus was gone.  
  
End chapter 3, written by Lee 


	4. The Beast

Lazarus Heart  
  
Disclaimer: don't own this.  
  
Authors note: sorry for the delay, but Gabriel spilt Dr. Pepper on the keyboard and I had to replace it lol. Thanks again for all that reviewed; I appreciate it.  
  
Chapter Four: The Beast  
  
Sand swept across the desert plains of the planet Gunsmoke, carried by the wind in a whirlwind of motion. The sandstorm covered a small town, howling in its fury, and making its presence known to all within its grasp. Inside the walls of the town saloon, a group of people huddled together, and talked franticly to each other in frightened whispers.  
  
Vash sat on the bar watching their fearful expressions as he loaded bullet after bullet into a black revolver. Behind him the bartender stepped out from a back room, and tapped Vash on the shoulder.  
  
"I found some more bullets in the back" he said setting a small box of ammo on the counter. Vash looked over his shoulder at the bartender, "great, and thanks for letting me barrow your gun".  
  
The bartender shrugged, "its no big deal, but I think your crazy to even consider taking that thing on".  
  
Vash chuckled, "well I've been accused of being crazy more than once".  
  
The bartender sighed, and shook his head, "your really serious about this aren't you? Ah well, if your really gonna face that monster you might as well take these too". The bartender reached down below the counter and pulled out a brown leather jacket, and a gun belt. He held the two items up to Vash who took them hesitantly.  
  
Vash raised an eyebrow, "are you sure? I don't want to damage your coat".  
  
The bartender poured himself a drink, "like I said before its no big deal".  
  
Vash nodded to him, and slipped his arms through the sleeves, he was thankful for the jacket. Without his old body armor and red coat, the jacket was his only protection at the moment.  
  
Vash buckled the gun belt around his waist, and emptied the box of bullets into the jacket's left pocket. He slid off the counter onto his feet, and with the bartender's gun in hand, struck a dramatic pose.  
  
"Well ladies, how do I look?" he asked looking over at the insurance girls. Meryl sighed and shook her head while Millie giggled at Vash's antics. Jimmy, who had calmed down a little, sat in Millie's lap and looked at Vash with wide eyes.  
  
"You look funny mister" Jimmy said truthfully. Vash dropped his pose and hunched over.  
  
"Why does everyone pick on me?" he said in a fake miserable tone.  
  
Meryl raised an eyebrow, "could it be because you make it so easy?" she said sarcastically. Vash was about to retort when he felt vibrations through the floor. His face turned serious " its here" he said quietly.  
  
The bartender gulped down another drink, and cleared his throat, "everyone get behind the counter". The people in the saloon quickly got out of their seats and rushed behind the bar. Meryl walked over to stand next to Vash, while Millie took Jimmy over to the counter, and handed him off to the bartender. With the people safely hidden behind the bar, Vash and the insurance girls stood side-by-side facing the door.  
  
Meryl readied two Derringers in her hands as Millie brought out her stun gun; Vash stood between them, his eyes were narrow pools of blue-green as his hand steadily hovered over the handle of his revolver. Soon the saloon shook in time with thunderous footsteps, and all attention was drawn to their beat as they neared the door. Time seemed to slow down for the people in the saloon, as the door and front wall of the saloon exploded inward. Shards of wood mixed with sand impacted with the saloon lights, shorting them out and plunging the saloon into darkness.  
  
Meryl and Millie worked as one; Meryl fired her two Derringers letting their flash of light illuminate the dark shape of the monster. Millie, using the flashes to target the monster, fired her stun gun three times. The three non-lethal X's slammed into the monsters midsection, and hurled it back through the hole it entered through. Vash wasted no time following the monster out of the saloon and into the storm. Vash watched the monster recover from the stun gun's blows, and get back to its feet.  
  
Vash ran head long towards the beast, firing his gun three times in rapid succession; one bullet struck the beast's forehead with a loud clang, while the other two bullets tore into its kneecaps. The creature's dark form wobbled as it tried to stay upright, and Vash used this distraction to slide feet first under the creature's legs. Halfway through his slide, Vash sent a kick to the monsters backside, and caused it to topple forward. The monster tried to stand back up on its ruined knees, while Vash regained his feet, and calmly walked over to the monster.  
  
As Vash neared the monster the sound of squealing motors reached his ears, and confirmed his suspicions of the monsters origin. Vash had seen this kind of machine before, it was a defense robot, but its design was radically different from the type he and Wolfwood had fought. *How could this thing still be active after all this time* he thought to himself. Vash shook that thought from his mind as the monster got back on its shaky legs. Before it could turn around, Vash raised the gun, pulled the hammer back with his thumb, and pointed the gun at the monster.  
  
A bullet flew from the barrel as Vash pulled the trigger, and hit dead center in a small circular power jack located at the base of the machines neck. Electricity erupted from the machines neck, and illuminated its body. The machine was humanoid in shape, with bipedal legs and a thick frame.  
  
Cloth rags covered the machine in order to hide its robotic appearance, and the metal blades that made up the machines hands, were painted black in order to give them an organic look. The electricity that covered the machine began to recede as it's power cell died, and the robot grew still.  
  
Vash walked around the smoking robot and looked into its eyes, which were two small cameras that had been shaded red. *Someone went through a lot of trouble to make this machine into a monster* Vash thought, as Millie and Meryl walked out to stand next to him. "Is it dead?" Millie asked him. Vash nodded.  
  
"What is it" Meryl asked hesitantly.  
  
"It's a machine, a piece of lost technology," Vash answered.  
  
Millie looked at Vash with a curious expression "you mean it's not a monster?"  
  
Vash shook his head "no, but someone wanted people to think it was".  
  
"But why would someone do that", Meryl asked in surprise.  
  
Vash turned to face the ruined saloon wall "I don't know, but we're going to find out". The three of them walked back into the saloon, and the bartender hesitantly poked his head above the counter, "is it dead?" he asked in surprise.  
  
Vash smiled in the darkness of the saloon "as a doornail".  
  
It seemed like all the people hiding behind the bar let out a relieved sigh, they stood up and came out from behind the bar. Vash along with Millie and Meryl received slaps on the back, accompanied with hugs from the grateful people in the saloon. Jimmy ran over to the trio, and looked up at them with admiration "you guys were awesome".  
  
Vash smiled "thanks, but it wasn't really a monster".  
  
"What was it then?" the bartender asked.  
  
"It was just a machine" Meryl replied.  
  
The bartender looked thoughtful, "if it was just a machine, then how did it cause all the storms?"  
  
Vash opened the breach in the back of the barrowed revolver, and turned the cylinder slowly, letting the spent bullet casings fall to the floor.  
  
"It didn't", he told them as he began to reload the gun, "Whoever was controlling the machine must have caused the storms as well".  
  
Vash twirled the loaded gun around his finger, and then holstered it in a smooth motion. Meryl looked at Vash, "how are we going to find the ones who controlled the machine?"  
  
"We just have to follow the storm to its point of origin" Vash replied.  
  
"They all came from the same direction right?" he asked the bartender. The bartender nodded, "yes, they all started in the north and then traveled this way".  
  
Meryl clenched her fist, "ok, let's finish this once and for all".  
  
Vash looked hesitant, "Meryl I think it might be a good idea for you and Millie to stay here".  
  
"But why Mr. Vash?" Millie asked him confused.  
  
Vash smiled, "we don't know if there are more of those things out there, and I don't want you two to get hurt".  
  
Meryl sighed, "I appreciate the concern, but if there are more of them out there, you're going to need some help".  
  
Vash slapped his forehead in frustration, "can't you just listen to me just this one time, and not fight me on this?"  
  
Meryl closed her eyes and smiled sweetly at Vash, "Vash, do you like doughnuts?" she asked him.  
  
"Uh Meryl, you know I love doughnuts", he replied hesitantly, she was starting to scare him.  
  
Meryl opened her eyes and glared at him, "that's good, and if you drop this subject right now, you'll still have the teeth to chew them".  
  
"Why do you always threaten me?" he grumbled. Meryl heard his grumbling, and it set her off into a lecture. The people in the saloon watched the short insurance girl blow up in Vash's face, and all of them developed sweat drops as Vash pleaded for mercy. Millie, who was used to their fighting, didn't really pay attention until she felt someone tug on her cloak.  
  
Millie looked down and saw Jimmy trying to get her attention. She leaned down to him and he cupped his hand on the side of his mouth, "do they always fight like that?" he whispered.  
  
Millie laughed softly, then whispered back, "well actually, its their strange way of saying they like each other".  
  
Jimmy looked surprised, "oh they must care about each other a lot", he said as Meryl put a few new lumps on Vash's head.  
  
Meryl put Vash in a headlock, causing him to flail around and agree to Meryl's terms, "alright you can go, just stop hitting me!"  
  
Meryl smiled as she released him, "I knew you'd see things my way".  
  
Vash rubbed his sore neck, and grumbled under his breath. Millie smiled at her two friends, *I wish they would just admit their feelings for each other*.  
  
"Ok, we need to get moving before whoever sent that beast gets away", Vash told the two insurance girls. The girls nodded and followed after Vash as he walked outside into the storm. Jimmy and the bartender waved at their retreating backs, "be careful you three", "come back safe," they both yelled over the storm.  
  
The walk was long, taking almost an hour before they were able to make out an object in the distance. The object was a large wagon, parked next to a group of round boulders. Vash motioned for the girls to stay down, and he silently crept up behind a boulder. Once he was sure he hadn't been spotted, he waved to the girls, and they crept over to join him.  
  
Vash kept his voice low, not wanting to alert anyone to his or the girls' presence, "I'm going to creep up behind the wagon, you two cover me ok?" The girls nodded. Vash was getting ready to move, when the door of the wagon opened, and a male voice was heard over the storm, "Come out from behind the boulder, we know your there, we can see your heat signature".  
  
Vash cursed, "Well, so much for the element of surprise".  
  
********  
  
Interlude: Warrens City, one day ago.  
  
Lazarus stood on the roof of the saloon, watching the people of Warrens City load money into the bandit's car. He looked down at the leader, who was sitting in a chair under an umbrella, and laughing the most annoying laugh in history. The wind picked up, and ruffled Lazarus's poncho, *I can't believe I even considered doing this*, he thought to himself.  
  
Lazarus sighed, and then stuffed the bartender's rag into the bottled he'd swiped from frank. He tipped the bottle sideways, letting the alcohol seep into the rag, and then taking a lighter from his pocket, lit the rag on fire.  
  
"Here's to stupidity", he said in a mock toast.  
  
Lazarus hurled the bottle at the bandit who held the girl hostage; it hit the ground at the bandit's feet, and erupted into flame as soon as it shattered. The bandit screamed as his pants caught fire, he forgot about the girl, and slapped his legs in an attempt to put the fire out. Lazarus drew his white semi-automatic, and took a running leap off of the roof.  
  
He landed in the front seat of the bandit's car, and fired his gun over the windshield, making the bandits dive for cover. Lazarus dropped down behind the wheel, and started the ignition, *shouldn't have left the keys in the car*, Lazarus thought as he put the car into gear.  
  
He pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and the car flew backward down the dusty street. The townspeople realizing the bandit's lack of hostages quickly surrounded the dazed criminals with their weapons drawn. Lazarus hit the brake, stopping the car a few buildings down, and turned around in his seat to see if the girl was unharmed.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked her.  
  
The girl responded by hurling herself at Lazarus, and hugging his neck, "thank you mister".  
  
Lazarus's eyes widened, "uh, yeah its ok, you can let go of me".  
  
The girl didn't listen, and continued to thank him; it was at this moment that the "voice" decided to speak. *See, now doesn't helping people make you feel good inside*? Lazarus awkwardly patted the girl on the back, *your enjoying this*, he thought darkly at the voice. The voice seemed to smirk, *immensely*, it replied.  
  
The townspeople had tied the bandits up by now, and were gathering around the car. The girl let go of Lazarus when she saw her parents in the group of people, and rushed out of the car to join them. Lazarus stepped out of the car as well, only to be assaulted by slaps on the back, and words of thanks. Frank Marlin stepped through the crowd, and walked up to Lazarus, "I don't know if what you did was brave, or stupid, but you did great".  
  
Lazarus was getting uncomfortable with all of the attention, "uh really, you don't have to thank me, it was nothing", he said nervously. Frank put an arm around Lazarus's shoulders, "don't be so modest, no one was hurt, and the bandits didn't get away with our money"; frank started leading Lazarus towards the saloon, "come on its time to celebrate".  
  
The voice laughed in Lazarus's mind, *I told you it would turn out all right, you did pretty good, for a pansy man*. *I hate you*, Lazarus responded as the townspeople dragged him into the saloon.  
  
One day, and one hangover later, Lazarus was driving through the desert, in a black convertible. The same car that used to belong to the bandits, it was a reward for helping apprehend them, *I guess helping those people was a good idea after all*, he mentally chuckled.  
  
Lazarus had let frank have the silver revolver for free, stating that he didn't want to carry it around anymore. Frank had been surprised, but he accepted the guns with a smile, and a thank you. Lazarus looked over at the cross riding shotgun next to him, *now if only I could get rid of this thing, I'd be set*.  
  
The voice sent a small pain through Lazarus's mind, *don't even think about it*, the voice growled at him.  
  
Lazarus gritted his teeth, "never crossed my mind", he replied sarcastically. He pressed the petal to the floor, and the wind ruffled his long red hair as he drove towards whatever fate awaited him.  
  
End chapter four, written by Lee. 


	5. Old Memories

Lazarus Heart  
  
Chapter five: Old memories  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.  
  
Authors note: The Voice's identity is revealed in this chapter, although most of you have probably guessed who it is lol.  
  
Warning: Beware cliffhangers.  
  
"Come out from behind the boulder, we know your there, we can see your heat signature".  
  
Vash cursed, "Well, so much for the element of surprise".  
  
A spotlight on the top of the wagon flicked on, covering the area with light. Vash stood and walked out from behind the boulder, shielding his eyes with his hand.  
  
"Who are you?" Vash asked.  
  
A chuckle drifted beyond the light followed by the silhouette of a man.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing", the silhouette replied.  
  
Vash smirked, "me? I'm just a drifter who wandered into the town you were terrorizing".  
  
The silhouette laughed, "drifter? More like an outlaw, right Vash?"  
  
Vash's eyes narrowed, "you know who I am?"  
  
The man moved to the side, out of the light and let Vash see him clearly. The man was middle aged, with gray hair covering his temples. Blue eyes looked at Vash, surrounded by a weathered face, "it's been awhile, Vash the Stampede," the man said with a sneer.  
  
Vash raised an eyebrow, "do I know you?"  
  
The man chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised if you can't remember me. It has been thirty years or more since I last saw you".  
  
Vash concentrated, sifting through his memories, and finally recognized the man. "Reeve", Vash said with recognition.  
  
Reeve smirked, "correct".  
  
"Did you send the monster that killed those people?" Vash asked him coolly.  
  
Reeve laughed heartedly, "your one to talk about monsters Vash, you haven't aged a day in all these years". "Not exactly normal are you?"  
  
Vash ignored his comment, "I knew you were a con man, but I never thought you were a murderer". "I'll ask you again, why did you set that metal monster on those people?"  
  
Reeve shrugged, "time can change people Vash, and you inspired me to use that machine".  
  
Vash's eyes widened, "w-what do you mean?"  
  
Reeve got a far away look in his eyes, "thirty years ago I was running a fake insurance scam, and making a killing at it until you came along. You saw right through me, and soon revealed my true intentions to the people I was scamming. I spent ten years in jail because of you!" Reeve growled.  
  
"Ten years is a long time to think, and I spent every moment of it thinking about how to get revenge. After I was released, I began to follow the rumors about you, and watched as you gained the reputation you have now."  
  
Vash sighed, "so this was all a trap to lure me here?"  
  
Reeve laughed, "actually no, this was just business."  
  
"Business? These are peoples lives!" Vash growled. "What could you gain from hurting these people?"  
  
"A reputation" Reeve replied.  
  
"What do you mean?" Vash asked darkly.  
  
"A reputation can be very useful, you should know that better than anyone. You could walk into any city, and have anything you wanted, just because you're Vash the Stampede." Reeve chuckled, "have you caught onto my plan yet Stampede?"  
  
Vash scowled, and his hand hovered over his gun, "you mean you killed all those people just to gain a reputation?"  
  
Reeve smirked, "of course, all I'd have to do is slaughter a few towns, letting only a few escape, and rumors will do the rest of the work for me. Soon entire cities will run in fear of my monster, and leave all their valuables behind for the taking."  
  
Vash growled, drawing his gun in a fluid motion, and pointed it at Reeve," sorry to ruin your fun, but I kinda broke your new toy".  
  
Reeve smiled "that's to bad, and I went to all that trouble just make it look scary, but there's more where that came from".  
  
As if given a silent command, a giant clawed hand burst from the grown beneath Vash's feet, and closed around him, creating a cage of steel blades. Vash's gun fell from his hand as the large machine pulled its metal body out of the sand. The machine was crudely build from what Vash see, a larger version of the machine he'd fought earlier that night.  
  
Vash hoped the girls would be able to handle this thing, or at least find a way to get him loose. His hopes were in vain though; the machine brought its other arm down, and dug its claws into the sand around the girls, caging them as well. Meryl called Vash's name, and beat her fist against the flat side of the machine's claw, while Millie tried to pry them apart with her stun gun. Vash scowled at reeve, "leave them out of this Reeve, its me you have a problem with".  
  
Reeve shook his head, "still the martyr are you? Well I'm sorry, but I can't have those two running around telling all my secrets can I?"  
  
Vash sighed, "well if these are our last moments, then I want to know everything about how you did all of this, the sandstorms, the lost technology, everything."  
  
Reeve chuckled, "why not? I can't refuse a man his last request."  
  
He pointed to the wagon, " this is how we control all of it, the whole works. The sandstorms are created through the use of vents located on the sides of the wagon. They pull in air, and heat it to high temperatures; it's then released into the cooler air outside. The colder air will push under the warmer air, and cause the strong winds needed for a sandstorm."  
  
While reeve was explaining his plan to Vash, Meryl and Millie were still trying to escape there machine made cage. Meryl rubbed her sore hand, "its no use, we can't budge these metal claws". Millie sighed, "and with the boulder in the way, we can't see what's going on."  
  
Meryl nodded, "yeah, but Vash isn't called the Humanoid Typhoon for nothing, he'll find a way to get out of this". *He always does*, Meryl thought to herself.  
  
Vash nodded, "ok that explains the sandstorms, but what about the lost technology, how did you get a hold of it, let alone know how to use it?"  
  
Reeve shrugged, "it all happened by accident, my partner and I were crossing the desert when the ground caved in beneath us, we just sort of stumbled on to it. Luckily, none of the robots were active, which gave us plenty of time to study how they worked."  
  
Vash interrupted Reeve, "who's your partner?"  
  
Reeve walked over to the wagon, and opened a sliding door built into the side, revealing a row of control panels, "hey Rob, someone wants to meet you."  
  
There was some shuffling inside the wagon, and after a few seconds, an older man stepped out of the wagon. His hair was gray, and he was wearing thick glasses with silver frames. Reeve put a hand on the gray haired man's shoulder, "Vash, this is Rob, he used to be a Plant engineer, and he's the one that does the maintenance on the robots."  
  
Vash smiled, "well I guess this is the end of the line then?"  
  
Reeve smirked, "guess so."  
  
Vash was still smiling when his left hand shot out between the metal claws, and split apart. A crudely attached derringer, one of Meryl's to be precise, slid out of the hollow part of Vash's fake arm, and into his hand.  
  
Vash mentally calculated the bullets path as he fired the small weapon. The bullet ricocheted off of a small rock underneath the wagon, and pierced a fuel line. Reeve and Rob had only a few seconds to look surprised, before the wagon blew up behind them.  
  
The force of the blast sent the duo flying, along with their machine, and Vash. The machines hand lifted up off of the girls as it toppled over, and the impact of its fall caused its other hand to open, freeing Vash.  
  
Vash fell out of the monster's hand, and used the momentum to roll on to his feet. He ran over to the girls, "are you alright?"  
  
Meryl nodded, "I'm alright, Millie?"  
  
"I'm fine", Millie replied.  
  
Meryl walked around the boulder, and looked over at Reeve and Rob, who were sprawled on the ground.  
  
"How are they?" She asked Vash.  
  
Vash rubbed the back of his head; "well I don't think they'll be hurting anyone anytime soon".  
  
Millie walked over, and noticed the gun in Vash's hand, "hey Meryl, isn't that the missing Derringer you were looking for?"  
  
Meryl's eyebrow twitched as she too saw the gun, "yes Millie, that gun does look VERY familiar".  
  
Vash slowly backed away from the small woman, "uh h-hey, take it easy, I was just barrowing it, honest."  
  
Meryl stomped towards Vash, intent on showing him how she felt about her guns. Vash realizing her intent, darted around Meryl, and began to make his patented getaway.  
  
Meryl ran after him, as Reeve regained consciousness, his eyes widened at the sight of Vash being chased by a woman half his size. Vash ran back towards Reeve, and slipped on the sand, he didn't fall, but it gave Meryl the opening she needed to tackle him.  
  
"What did I tell you about touching my things?" Meryl yelled while she wrung his neck.  
  
"N-not t-to" Vash choked out.  
  
Reeve slowly got to his feet while Meryl and Vash argued. Now on his feet, he slowly walked over to Vash clutching something to his chest.  
  
"You think you've won, don't you?" Reeve said weakly. Vash and Meryl stopped moving as they looked over at Reeve, who had begun to laugh manically.  
  
"What's so funny?" Meryl asked in confusion.  
  
Reeve chuckled softly, "nothing really, I'm just thinking about the explosives that were wired into the robots".  
  
"W-what?" Vash said in surprise.  
  
"You can't be serious?" Meryl added.  
  
Reeve sighed as he let his arm fall to his side, and in his hand was a detonator.  
  
"No!" Vash screamed as he scrambled to reach Reeve. Time seamed to slow down as reeve pressed the button, "adios" was the last thing he ever said. Two explosions echoed through the night, until the silence of the desert was all that remained.  
  
********  
  
*Lazarus was dreaming again, and that in its self was what disturbed him. He knew he was dreaming; yet he could still think clearly in the darkness of sleep. Soon the unknown church appeared, as his dream took shape.  
  
The man dressed in black stood in front of him next to the altar, his back faced Lazarus, just like it did in the dreams that preceded this one. Lazarus sighed, and took a seat in the front pew while the man began his repetitive speech.  
  
"Find him", the voice echoed through the church.  
  
Lazarus rolled his eyes, "look its bad enough you talk to me when I'm awake, but do you have to mess with my dreams too?"  
  
"Find him", the voice echoed again.  
  
Lazarus stood up and clenched his fists, "look man, you're starting to really piss me off! Who are you?"  
  
The man in black chuckle, and Lazarus heard the sound of a match being struck. Smoke curled around the dark haired mans head, as the smell of cigarette smoke filled the church.  
  
The man chuckled, "You know these things don't do anything for me now, but bad habits are the hardest to break".  
  
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Lazarus yelled.  
  
The man in black sighed, and then slowly turned around to face Lazarus. He had dark eyes that matched his shaggy hair, and his chin was kind of pointy. The cigarette hung between his lips, while mirth danced in his eyes.  
  
Lazarus shook his head and smirked, "well, at least I can put a face to the voice now. Could you maybe tell me your name too, so I can call you something besides the Voice?"  
  
The man in black raised an arm up, and held it in the air like it was resting on something, a few seconds later, the cross gun appeared across his shoulders.  
  
"Certainly, my name is Nicholas D. Wolfwood". *  
  
End Chapter five, written by Lee. 


	6. Give me back my Bullet

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.  
  
AN: Sorry about the delay, but my thought train ran out of steam for a while lol.  
  
Chapter 6: Give me back my Bullet  
  
(Outskirts of Warrens City, five days later)  
  
Vash stood on one of the many hills that surrounded Warrens City, watching the sun sink below the horizon. His mind drifted through past events, from the discovery of his brothers' escape, to the explosion that Reeve had instrumented. Reeve destroyed that town, killed all those people, just to destroy him.  
  
Vash sighed, and looked at his mechanical arm, it was always about getting to him wasn't it. If it wasn't about the bounty, it was revenge for some past deed, good or bad. Reeve was just one person in a long line of criminals, and other assorted bad people he'd stopped over his long life. Vash turned his gaze towards Warrens City where the insurance girls, and the boy were staying.  
  
They had survived the robots explosion with only a few cuts, and bruises to show for it. The girls he could understand, they'd been through much worse before, but Jimmy, or Jim as he'd insisted they call him, could have only survived through some kind of miracle. Or, Vash smiled, Wolfwood pulled a few strings in the after life.  
  
Vash shook his head, and started to walk back towards Warren's city. Meryl would start to worry soon, even though she'd never admit it. He was going to see Frank Marlin tomorrow, and once he got a new gun, it was time to find Knives, well after he found a nice home for Jim that is.  
  
**********  
  
Meryl typed furiously on her typewriter, her slender fingers jabbed at the keys in a blur. Vash had come back late last night, and had surprisingly left the hotel before she had woken up this morning. *He always does that, leaving without telling anyone where he's going*. Even though she pretty much knew he was going to see that gunsmith, still a note would have been nice.  
  
Meryl stopped typing, and looked over the half finished report lying on the desk. She still had to send her monthly report for the society, and it was mostly a fabrication. She hated to lie, but what was she going to report? That Vash's twin brother was running loose with plans to destroy every human on Gunsmoke, and they had to chase him down. *Yeah right*, she thought darkly.  
  
A loud cry of "I win", interrupted Meryl's thoughts, and she turned to look at the rooms other two occupants. Millie and Jim were seated at the table, playing the only card game Millie knew, Old Maid. From the look on Jims face, you wouldn't have been able to tell that he had just lost everyone, and everything he had known. Meryl guessed that the legendary Thompson cheerfulness helped Jim cope better, but Meryl would still wake up at night hearing Jim sniffle in his sleep.  
  
It surprised her that he wasn't in shock still; they had found him after the explosion, lying unconscious, and surrounded by the burning remains of the saloon. Out of the few dozen people in his town, Jim was the only survivor. After that they had walked all the way to Warrens City, it had worn all of them out, especially Jim who wasn't used to traveling. They had to find a home for him after Vash finished his business with Frank Marlin.  
  
She had talked to Millie about, and Millie had brought up the idea of taking him to Mr. Wolfwood's church. They hadn't talked with Vash yet, but she knew it meant a lot to Millie. The only problem with it was the distance; the orphanage was in the December area, way out in the boonies. Finding Knives was their top priority, and taking another detour would take a lot of time. Meryl sighed and went back to typing, *I'll talk to Vash about it when he gets back*.  
  
********  
  
Frank Marlin had just finished the repairs on Vash's gun, when there was a knock on his door. Frank looked suspiciously at the door for a moment, and then covered Vash's gun, along with its dark twin, with a piece of cloth. After making sure Vash's gun was covered, he walked over and opened the door. As soon as the door was open, a brown blur pushed Frank back into his home, and then quickly shut the door.  
  
"What the hell mister?" frank said as he regained his balance, and got a good look at the intruder. A man stood against the door, he had shaggy blond hair, and was wearing a brown jacket with matching pants. Frank's eyes widened as a goofy grin appeared on the intruder's face.  
  
"V-Vash?" Frank said in surprise.  
  
Vash rubbed the back of his head, "long time no see".  
  
Frank shook his head, "I figured you'd show up sooner or later, but I didn't think you would show up so soon".  
  
"Huh? Were you expecting me or something"? Vash said in confusion.  
  
Frank smiled, "something like that. So what do I owe this visit"?  
  
"Uh, well I kind of lost my gun", Vash said with a sheepish look on his face.  
  
"Really", Frank chuckled. "I think I might have just the gun for you then. I finished repairing it right before you knocked".  
  
Vash sighed in relief, "thanks frank, I'm really grateful."  
  
Frank waved his hands in dismissal," never mind pal, I told you if you brought your gun back that I would fix it good as new."  
  
Vash looked confused, "yeah, but that promise doesn't apply to a new gun does it? So you didn't have to help me out this time."  
  
Frank smiled as he walked over to his workbench, and uncovered the two revolvers, "who said anything about a new gun?"  
  
Vash's jaw dropped at the sight of the twin black, and silver guns, "What! How! When! Huh!"  
  
Frank chuckled and put his hand on Vash's shoulder, "have a seat Vash, and I'll explain."  
  
{Half an hour, and a story later}  
  
Vash and Frank were sitting at his kitchen table.  
  
"So was this Laz guy some kind of gunmen?" Vash asked.  
  
Frank rubbed his chin, "no, he really didn't seem like one, in fact, all he really did was distract them long enough for us to capture the bandits."  
  
Vash pondered this a moment, "so, when he left he still had Wolfwood's cross-punisher?"  
  
Frank nodded, "yeah he took off at dawn with the cross riding shotgun. He headed east, but I don't know if he changed direction after that."  
  
"And he said that he found the guns in the desert?"  
  
Frank sighed, "That's what he told me."  
  
Vash filed the information away for later, and got up from the table, "thanks for everything Frank. I'd like to catch up with you some more, but if I don't get back soon, I'll be catching hell from two peeved insurance girls."  
  
Frank laughed, "So those two are still chasing you huh?"  
  
Vash chuckled as he walked over to the door, "yeah, but there not so bad once you get used to it."  
  
Frank laughed again as he stood up, "well goodbye Vash, and remember to stop by if you get out this way again."  
  
"Count on it", Vash said before he closed the door behind him. As he started back towards the hotel, a few thoughts jumped through his mind. *If that guy was headed east, then he was heading towards the December area*. Vash walked along the sandy street, and then stopped in front of the Hotel.  
  
*It's not impossible to just stumble upon the guns I guess, but still it might be a good idea to question that guy personally*. Vash nodded to himself, and walked into the hotel with a big smile on his face. *Although, I wish I could see the look on Knives face when he finds out the guns are missing*  
  
********  
  
(Seeds ship, Demitri Area)  
  
Knives stomped heavily through the halls, and corridors of his Seeds ship with a dark expression on his face. *Their gone. Gone! If Vash thinks that this will hinder me, he had better think again*. Knives stopped in the middle of the hallway outside the control room, and began to calm down.  
  
*I guess it doesn't really matter. Using the angel arm now could be dangerous, especially after the last fight with Vash. We both depleted a lot of energy, and once it runs out, we die*. Knives started towards the control room again, and thought about an alternate strategy for destroying humanity.  
  
Logically the best course of action was to recruit more humans, but finding killers like the Gun ho Guns would be difficult. It had taken over a decade to recruit, and train the nine assassins, starting over from scratch would tale time, time Knives didn't want to waste.  
  
Knives reached the door to the control room, and hit the door release button. What greeted him inside were not the blank screens he hade left in standby mode, but a room full of flashing terminals. He narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the main terminal, and took in the information on the screen.  
  
(Security Breach in Sector 26) was flashing in red letters across the screen. *Sector 26? There isn't a Sector 26*. Knives growled, and then pulled up the information on Sector 26. The ships schematics appeared on the screen, and showed room that had not been there before. Knives scowled at the screen, *a hidden room? Humans are such deviant creatures*.  
  
His fingers flew across the controls as he connected to the computer in the newly discovered room. The computer was encrypted, but it only took Knives a few seconds to break through it. Once that was done he brought up the computers main menu, which consisted of two programs.  
  
Lazarus Protocol: standby\Subject Active  
  
Omega Protocol: standby\Subjects in Suspended Animation  
  
*Suspended Animation? This ship was carrying Plants, no Cryo Tubes were supposed to be on this ship*. Knives brought up the status of the tubes. *Hmm, one is empty, but the other four are occupied*. Knives smirked, " now lets find out who my unwanted guests are."  
  
Words flew across the screen, and reflected in Knives eyes. A grin began to grow on his face, "maybe I won't have to search for new human pawns after all". Knives insane laughter drifted through the halls of the Seeds ship as new plans formulated in his mind.  
  
End Chapter 6, Written by Lee 


	7. Intermission

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.  
  
Intermission  
  
(Middle of nowhere, December area)  
  
Lazarus grumbled, as he opened the trunk of his car, and sifted through the junk inside. The car had gotten a flat, and Lazarus hoped there was a spare. He let out a sigh of relief, as he found one under a pile of Eagle magazines.  
  
Trash, and other assorted items fell out of the trunk, when Lazarus pulled the tire out. Lazarus wiped sweat from his brow, and took his poncho off, letting it drop to the ground. "Damn this heat", he said out loud. *Aw, you get used to it, * Wolfwood commented mentally.  
  
Lazarus snorted, and rolled the tire over to the side of the car, "easy for you to say, you don't even feel the heat."  
  
Wolfwood laughed, * yeah, that's true, but I was alive once, remember*?  
  
"True", Lazarus propped the tire on the car, and began to feel under the seats for a tire iron. His hand felt cool steel, and he dragged the tire iron out from under the seat.  
  
"Now all I need is a jack", Lazarus sighed, and looked in the trunk.  
  
*Not very organized were they*?  
  
Lazarus found a tire jack buried under a mess of rope, "no they weren't, and if I would have known about this earlier, I would have put a few bullets in them, just out of spite."  
  
*I thought you weren't allowed to kill people*? Wolfwood asked, adding a mental smirk.  
  
Lazarus looked puzzled, "how did." *I can hear your thoughts idiot*.  
  
Growling Lazarus started to change the flat tire, "I am not allowed to terminate, but I can wound people".  
  
*So why are you not allowed to kill people anyway*?  
  
"I was ordered not to", Lazarus replied, pulling the damaged tire off, and setting it on the ground.  
  
*By whom*?  
  
Lazarus sighed, "none of your business ghost".  
  
*Ouch that really hurts* Wolfwood thought sarcastically.  
  
"Since it seems to be Q&A time right now, why are we heading to December anyway?"  
  
Wolfwood didn't answer, and Lazarus tightened down the bolts on the new tire. Finally after a long pause, Wolfwood's voice drifted through his mind.  
  
*Vash is going to be in December*  
  
Lazarus froze as the statement echoed through his brain. "How do you know that?" Lazarus thought darkly.  
  
*A promise between friends, he'll go there eventually. I don't know when, but it might be your only chance to catch up to him*.  
  
"If Vash is your friend, then why are you helping me?"  
  
Wolfwood chuckled, *orders from above*.  
  
Lazarus raised an eyebrow, and grabbed his duster, "orders from above?"  
  
Wolfwood was silent as Lazarus threw the tools in the back seat, and got behind the wheel.  
  
He turned the key, and shrugged as the engine roared to life, "man this planets weird".  
  
Whistling an old earth song, Lazarus put the car in gear, and slammed the petal to the floor.  
  
*What's that song? I think I've heard Vash hum that before*.  
  
"Huh, oh just a little tune I heard before I left.."  
  
*Left where*?  
  
Lazarus sighed," home".  
  
Wolfwood gave a frustrated growl, *damn you're a cryptic bastard*! Lazarus slammed on the brakes, "yeah! Well that's rich coming from a voice in MY head"!  
  
As if his arm had a life of it's own, Lazarus's hand wrapped around his throat. "What the hell?"  
  
*Either you tell me what I want to know, or may God have mercy on your soul*.  
  
"Screw you", Lazarus gurgled, while trying to pry the hand off.  
  
Lazarus's hand tightened around his throat, and he began to see stars, "alright, alright"!  
  
The hand let go, and Lazarus moved it experimentally, *I knew you'd see things my way*.  
  
*Now talk*, Wolfwood ordered, and Lazarus did.  
  
End Intermission.  
  
(Sorry about the lateness, but someone barrowed my Trigun episodes, and I use them to motivate me) Written by Lee. 


	8. Ties

Chapter 7:Ties  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or its characters.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and I apologize for any confusion, or spelling errors. Joedobell: Thanks for the pointers, I tried to follow them in this chapter, and I plan to go back and fix the others. My grammar, and all around language skills are horrible, so any pointers are appreciated As for the question about Reeve; I guess I didn't explain the situation right. My intention was to portray Reeve as a Villain from Vash's past that had been planning revenge for about thirty years. The reason he gave up the story so easily was because of Vash basically falling into his lap, and to revel in his own misguided genius. In short, yeah he was just that arrogant. As for the guns, Lazarus giving up the guns easily was intentional, and an explanation for it will be in later chapters. There are clues in chapters 3, Intermission, and this chapter as to why Lazarus parted with the guns, but rest assured I plan to explain it in detail later.  
  
BLacKBodian: Thanks for the reviews. Your comment really did get me to start writing again.  
  
Also I'm sorry about the plot's slow pace, but it is going to speed up soon.  
  
(Warrens City) Meryl stood in front of the window, watching Vash as he made his way up the street. She placed her hands on the window frame, and leaned out. He looks like he's in a good mood, Meryl thought as she watched him walk into the hotel with a smile. With her brow furrowed in puzzlement, she sat down at the table to wait for him. Vash knocked on the door a few minutes later, and then entered with the smile still on his face.  
  
He was about to say something, when he looked around in confusion. "Where are Millie and Jim?" Meryl smiled, "You know Millie, she went in search of pudding and took Jim with her." Vash chuckled, and took a seat at the table across from Meryl. "How did your meeting with Frank Marlin go?" Vash grinned, "It went great, better than I expected." Meryl studied his face, He does look happier than he was a few days ago. "So, were you able to get a new gun made?" Vash scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, something like that", he chuckled.  
  
Meryl fixed him with a flat stare, and crossed her arms. "Ok Vash, out with it." Vash's grin threatened to split his face. "What do you mean?" Meryl's eyes shrank into slits. "You're hiding something." Vash reached behind him, and pulled the twin revolvers out of his waistband. He laid them down on the table in front of a shocked, and sputtering Insurance girl. "H-how...I thought...." Vash nodded, "I did." Meryl's face was the picture of confusion, if a question mark would have suddenly appeared over her head, Vash would not have been surprised. "If you left them in the desert, then how did they find their way here?" Vash shrugged, "Frank said that a drifter came through here with them. Frank recognized my gun, and convinced the drifter to sell it to him."  
  
Meryl eyed the guns with suspicion, and cast a worried glance at the black revolver, "Is that...?" Vash picked up the black revolver, and ran his eyes over it with an unreadable expression. "Yes...this is the gun that belonged to Knives." Meryl stared at the black gun with fear, and a little awe. The gun of Millions Knives...the weapon of Vash's Brother. She tore her eyes away from the gun, and looked at Vash with uncertainty. "I don't know Vash, isn't this just a little too convenient?" Vash sighed, and rubbed his chin with his artificial hand. "Yeah... it does seem a little off doesn't it."  
  
He placed the black gun back on the table, and once again Meryl's attention was drawn to it. She seemed as if under a spell as she hesitantly reached out to touch Knives weapon. Vash's hand softly intercepted her own, and clasped it firmly. His voice sounded pained as he spoke to her. "Don't Meryl, please." She stared at his hand, her thoughts in disarray while she sorted through the different feelings his touch always awakened. There was sadness in his eyes when she looked up at them, a pain hidden in two pools of blue-green. Vash broke out into a smile, and made some silly remark about Meryl's hand, but she wasn't listening.  
  
Her stare looked past the goofy smile, and silly antics, into the part of him that he kept from her. "It's ok", she whispered. Vash's smiled faltered, and he began to draw his hand back, but stopped as both of Meryl's hands wrapped around his own. "Its alright Vash, to let us know your sad." "I know ", he said in a wavering voice, "I'll try to, but please don't ever touch that gun...I know its stupid, and irrational, but it just doesn't feel right." Meryl sighed, "Ok." She smiled at him as a thought occurred to her. "We hardly ever talk like this, its nice." Vash smiled in return, "Yeah, I know." Meryl raised an eyebrow, "You think you know everything", she said teasingly. Vash laughed, and took on a mock mysterious expression. "Maybe I do." Meryl shook her head, "You broom- head", she replied as she drew her hands back.  
  
Vash just chuckled, and holstered the revolvers in the waistband of his pants. Meryl watched him, and then asked a question that had been nagging at the back of her mind. "Vash? What was that mans name? The one who brought the guns to Frank Marlin." Vash thought a moment, trying to remember what Frank told him. "It was Laz...Laz Arussel." "That's a strange name", Meryl added. Vash shrugged, "According to Frank the guy was weird in general. Frank said the guy's eyes would glaze over at times, like he was dreaming, or wasn't all there." Meryl nodded, "Hmm that does sound strange." Vash took a deep breath, and told Meryl the last bit of information Frank had given him. "There is something we have to deal with." "What is it?" Meryl asked. "Well, Vash replied sheepishly, "He has Wolfwood's cross..." "What!" Meryl exploded out of her chair, and grabbed Vash by his collar, "Do you have any idea what kind of damage someone can do with that thing?" Vash held his arms up defensively, "I couldn't help it; the man who has it already left town." Meryl let go of his collar, and sat down with a sigh.  
  
"Should we go after him?" She asked. "Eventually, Vash replied, "But first I was thinking we night make a pit stop in December." "You're thinking about taking Jim to Mr. Wolfwood's orphanage", Meryl stated with a knowing look. Vash crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah...I think it would be a good place for him, and I made a promise to Wolfwood. I Promised I'd look after the place in his...absence." Several months had passed, and still Vash couldn't bring himself to say it, that Wolfwood was dead. Meryl saw his gloomy expression and sighed, "Hey Vash. Why don't you go take a nap, and I'll go pick up something for dinner, ok?" "Doughnuts?" Vash asked hopefully. Meryl rolled her eyes, and acted like he was asking her the impossible.  
  
"I suppose I could pick some up for desert". Vash was out of his seat before she could blink. He hugged her tightly, causing Meryl to blush. "Thanks Meryl", he said with a grin, and then rushed out of the room leaving one dazed insurance girl in his wake.  
  
(Abandoned town, Three Days Later)  
  
The old church sat alone, away from the other empty buildings of the deserted town. Soft moonlight glinted off its white walls, and painted glass windows, reflecting a rainbow pattern on the dusty ground. A buzz filled the air, and soon grew to a steady crackling sound. Suddenly golden light burst from inside the church, eclipsing the light of the moons, and turned night into day.  
  
The light soon dimmed, and faded completely. The crackling became a buzzing sound again, and it too faded to nothing. The door of the church opened with creaky hinges, and Lazarus stumbled out into the night. He was tired, dead tired, and sweating profusely. "This better be worth it Wolfwood", he rasped out loud. He took a few shaky steps before collapsing to the ground. Lazarus made a few feeble attempts to rise, before giving up, and deciding that staying on the ground wasn't so bad. His eyelids closed wearily, and his breath stirred the dust as he slipped into unconsciousness. 


End file.
